1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of tuning to a new radio station when a user's vehicle travels out of the broadcast range of a currently-tuned radio station.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a driver of a motor vehicle travels out of the broadcast range of a radio station he is listening to, the driver must initiate a scan of available frequencies by pressing a scan button. Once the driver finds a station that is similar to the station he is currently listening to, he must then again operate the scan button in order to stop the scanning and select the new station as the frequency that the radio should be tuned to. A problem is that the operation of the scan button and selecting a new station diverts the driver's attention from the driving task.
As the connected car becomes commonplace, people will listen to a combination of streaming content that is distributed over the internet and terrestrial radio. There will be times when internet service is not available (or the user's data plan is running low), and there will be times when terrestrial stations are out of range. When either service is not available, the user does not have an easy way to switch over to the other service, thereby causing disappointment and distracted driving.